Better Times
by TehNicksterBoi
Summary: Percy's life isn't the best. Nobody likes him, and his stepfather beats him. When a new girl turns up in his life, can she change things for the better? M for child abuse, and strong language. Percy/Annabeth.
1. Better Times

_"If love is a labor I'll slave till the end, I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand,"_

_ –Rise Against, Swing Life Away_

* * *

He was used to the dark corner in the room. He was used to just reading his novels of love, and adventure, not desiring any himself, for the girls he was usually with were not the type. This was his norm, what he did nearly every day. But then something had changed. Annabeth had come.

Percy sat in the back of the class, reading his novel. It was filled with the exploits of a hero trying to reach his woman, to save her life and win her heart. He scoffed._ Love never seems to be like this in the real world._ He thought. _Nor does there seem to be that, 'soul mate' for me, as some so eloquently put it._ But life, much like God, works in mysterious ways. Which is why Percy knew, from the instant he saw her, that he would try to make her his.

He first saw his blonde beauty in his second class, when she walked in late on the second day back, her hair flying behind her as she dashed into the math room.

"Mr. D! I'm sorry for being late, I was sick the first day, and then my alarm didn't go off, and…"

Percy had stopped listening. He was looking at her in awe. She was beautiful, her blonde hair falling down in golden waterfalls on her back. The most captivating part of her were her eyes. Stormy gray, they looked as if they held the secrets of the world. He had to force his jaw closed. She was perfect. He surreptitiously watched her as she walked to her seat, and began chatting with another girl, Piper. Percy pretended to put on an air of indifference, but inside, he was happier than he had been in… he couldn't remember. When had his life been happy, and carefree? For as long as he could remember, his life had been made a hell at home, his stepfather always trying to beat him to death. School wasn't much better. He wasn't very good at learning, and sitting still was a problem for him. All the other kids laughed and made fun of him, calling him an idiot, and other creative names that teenagers can come up with. The only time he did well in school, was gym. He excelled in any physical challenge you could throw at him. But, when he gazed upon Annabeth that day, he felt that his life was going to change for the better. She could become the shining beacon that kept him slogging on through days of abuse, mental and physical. Which is why he had to try.

Second period ended, and third started. Percy walked to Biology, his heart lighter than it had been in years. His day was brightened even more, when he discovered Annabeth was in the same class as him, and sitting alone at a two person table. He walked up to her and smiled, setting his stuff down next to her.

"Mind if I have this seat?" He asked happily. She smiled back.

"Sure go right ahead. Nobody is sitting here. My name is Annabeth Chase." She said.

"Percy, Percy Jackson." He said in a James Bond-like imitation. She laughed.

"I haven't seen you here before, where did you move from?" Percy asked.

"San Francisco," She replied. "My mother got a great job offer down at some legal firm. So, we packed our things up, and flew across the country." Percy shook his head.

"Sucks that you had to leave California. I hear it's warm this time of year. And every time of year." She laughed again.

"I suppose so. Is Long Island always this rainy, or is that just me?" She said.

"It's not you. It sucks down here. Hence the comment about California," Percy said grimly. "Hope you brought an umbrella… Oh here comes Mr. Chiron. He's pretty cool, he likes his students, and he's a good teacher.

"Sounds good. Say, you want to hang out afterschool? This place is kind of unfamiliar, and I don't suppose you'd mind showing me around? Because, I can tell you like me." She said, very matter-of-factly. Percy turned red.

"Uhh… hahaha… what?" He said smartly.

"Geez Seaweed Brain, it was a simple enough question." She replied.

"Seaweed Brain?" He asked. She nodded.

"Your head is full of it." She laughed.

"Oh come off it!" He said.

"Well, does our little date sound good?" She said. Percy nodded.

"Sounds great. Do you want to meet up, or should I pick you up?" He asked.

"You can pick me up. Here's my address," She wrote it down on a scrap of paper.

"Cool. I'll see you after class then." He said.

School went by quickly after that. Percy got on the bus, and grimaced. School being over meant going home to Gabe, his stepfather. Percy hated Gabe, and the feelings were definitely mutual. Gabe had beat Percy ever since his mother had died. Gabe was usually drunk, but even when he was sober, noting got better. Percy had bruises everywhere. He got off the bus, and quietly walked through the front door. Gabe was sitting in the living room, a beer in one hand, TV remote in the other. He was asleep on the couch, his loud snoring echoing through the house. Percy quietly took the keys off their ring by the garage, and slipped out of the house. Closing the door with trepidation. Gabe kept on snoring. Percy sighed in relief, and got in the car. He input Annabeth's address into the GPS, and drove. When he arrived, Annabeth was waiting for him on her porch. She saw the car pull up, and got off the steps. She got into the passenger seat of the car.

"Heya! Hope you know this place better than I do." She said.

"I hope so too." He said jokingly.

Percy drove them around Long Island, showing her the beaches, and art museums. They were out well past nine, and soon Annabeth asked to be taken home. They walked to the car, and drove back to Annabeth's house. Percy pulled into the driveway.

"That was lots of fun! We should do it again sometime." She exclaimed. Percy went a little red.

"Yeah, for sure! We could go to the architectural museum you were so interested in." She nodded emphatically.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow Seaweed Brain?" She asked.

"Definitely." He replied. Then, much to his surprise, she leaned over and kissed him.

"Thanks." She whispered, and got out of the car.

Percy ran a finger over his lips, as he watched her disappear into her house. _Did that really just happen?_ He thought. He regained control of his senses, and drove back home. He parked the car, and again walked quietly through the door. He crept over to the door leading to the garage, and put the keys back up. As he was about to creep upstairs, something made him stop. He felt a cold presence behind him, as if Death had taken to following him.

WHAM.

Pain exploded in Percy's skull. He fell to the ground, clutching his head and seeing red. Gabe was towering over him.

"AND JUST WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU TONIGHT?!" He bellowed. He emphasized his point by hitting and kicking Percy even more. "DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO LEAVE THE DAMN HOUSE? NO! AND YOU EVEN HAD THE GOD DAMN NERVE TO TOUCH MY CAR, YOU LITTLE FUCKER!" Each word was followed with another blow. This went on for at least half an hour. Eventually, Gabe tired, and threw Percy onto the stairs. Percy quickly scurried up into the safety of his room. He hated his life.

* * *

**So bam. New story, some new people. If any of you cared, I deleted New York Assassins because, let's face it, it was awful. It's not coming back, and I deleted every trace of it. Sorry if any of you liked it :( BUT! There is good news. Thanks to one of my friends, there could be a possible second chapter in ****_Longing_****! If you haven't read it, please do. It was my favorite story to write. I think that's all for now, I'll see you people next time.**

**Reviews are love, and motivating. I love reading what you people have to say to me :)**


	2. The Second

Percy stepped off his bus, and cranked his music a little louder. He winced as he put weight on his left foot. His whole leg felt like crap after last night's beating. He thought Gabe might've broken his leg, but no such luck. He still had to limp his way to school. He went to his locker, and began unlocking it. Then he felt a hand grab him from behind. He turned, expecting Luke, or one of his cronies, but was pleasantly surprised to see Annabeth. He hurriedly adjusted the collar of his shirt, so she wouldn't see the fresh bruises on his skin.

"Hey stranger!" She said happily. Percy almost smiled, than thought the better of it.

"Hey 'Beth…" He said. She frowned at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Her gray eyes seemed to pierce him, as if daring him to lie.

"Nothing, just slept funny I guess…" He responded. She didn't seem satisfied, but dropped the subject.

"Alright… Well, c'mon, we're going to be late for Mr. D's." She said. Percy nodded, shut his locker, and began walking with Annabeth to class. They still had a little bit of time before the bell rang, so they hung out and talked. Percy found out more about Annabeth family, her stepbrothers, stepmom, and slightly crazy dad.

"You're probably tired of hearing me talk, so tell me about your family!" Annabeth said enthusiastically. Percy visibly stiffened. Annabeth noticed.

"Sore subject?" She asked. Percy quickly loosened up and shook his head.

"No, not really, not anymore. My mother died one day, and my stepdad has raised me ever since. He's an alright guy." The lie slightly caught in his throat, but he managed to get it out.

Annabeth eyed him, but before she could say anything, the bell rang. She got up and moved to her seat. Percy prepared himself for a boring eighty five minutes of Mr. D talking. Class began, but Percy's mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about how sore he was going to be when he had to stand up. His thoughts drifted to Annabeth.

Annabeth.

The one shining light in this dark hole he called a life. She actually talked to him. She actually didn't treat him like shit, like he was a waste of space... She had _kissed_ him. He was still reeling from the memory of that. He couldn't believe that someone as beautiful as his blonde friend would ever even think of doing something like that. He crossed his arms in thought, then winced as he nudged a bruise hidden under his black hoodie. He sighed. His injuries reminded him about letting people into his life. He hadn't really known his mother, but for some reason, the color blue made him think of her. Gabe was a different matter. He was forced to have that… that _pig_ in his life. But he couldn't do anything about it. He had toyed with the idea of calling the police, but Gabe would probably kill him when he heard sirens. His arm throbbed again. Percy sighed, and battered down his metaphorical hatches against Mr. D's voice. This would be a long day.

* * *

School finally ended. While other kids would be happy, Percy only felt sadness. He had nothing to look forward to at home but pain, both mental and physical. He got on his bus, and sat alone as usual, blasting sad music into his ears. He checked his phone, and saw he had a message from Annabeth.

_Hey, you want to hang out later?_ It read. Percy carefully considered. He wasn't sure he was willing to risk letting anyone else into his life. He had enough pain for the moment, thank you very much. He typed a response.

_I'm busy today, maybe some other day :( sorry._ He sent it.

The bus pulled up to his stop, and Percy disembarked. He walked to his house, and slowly crept in, taking great care not to make a sound. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but didn't bother answering it. He walked up to his room, silently shut his door, and laid down on his bed. He didn't bother doing his homework. The only thing he wanted to do, was lay down in his dark room while listening to sad music. Music was the one thing he had left, but it was beginning to fail him. He rolled over, and then, with great clarity, saw the object standing on his bedside table. It was a half-full bottle of melatonin, a chemical in your body that helped you sleep. It was sold in pill form as well, so people with sleep problems could get to bed faster.

He uncorked the bottle. He was so, so tempted to just shove them all down his throat… but something held him back. He didn't know what, but he put the cap back on the bottle, and laid down, silent tears streaming down his face.

He didn't know what to do anymore.

* * *

**After about five months, an update! A short chapter, but still, you're probably staring at your screen in disbelief :P**

**No telling when the next chapter will be up, but I'll see you next time I post!**


End file.
